The B-Boy's Forgotten Influence On Hip-Hop Culture

Journalist Tamal of Carrying The Culture

The term “Hip-Hop culture” is one that has been thrown around very casually the past few years. It's not uncommon to hear phrases like “do it for the culture” or “it's about the culture” come up in many discussions these days. But like many trendy phrases that are parroted without much thought, a lot of Hip-Hop heads talk about “Hip-Hop culture” without knowing what the term culture actually means. What does Hip-Hop culture actually consist of? During multiple conversations with B-Boy historian Pluto 7 of The Bronx Boys, he eloquently described how many major aspects of Hip- Hop culture originate directly from B-Boy/B-Girl subculture. His line of thinking makes a lot of sense when analyzing the history of some of the cultural aspects of Hip-Hop.

Of course, the question can be raised how can one be certain that various Hip-Hop values and beliefs originate from B- Boy culture instead of another element like emceeing. It's important to note, that while the emcee/rap element is certainly now the most popular element on a global scale, this wasn't the case early on. Kool Herc and Grandmaster Caz confirm in the documentary “The Freshest Kids” that at parties and jams, the DJ and B-Boy were much more prominent than the emcee, who acted as more of a host than performer. The B-Boys would “go off” to DJ breaks and set the vibe for the entire party. The development of the emcee into what we see today didn't start to happen until the late 70's. Additionally, it is widely known and accepted that in the early days, graffiti existed outside of Hip-Hop and only later was it adopted as part of the culture. So one can say with a degree of certainty that the early B-Boys rocking at parties played a major role in laying the bricks for the foundation of the culture overall.

Before going further, we must first understand the term “culture”. Scholars widely agree that there are 4 main components of a culture—shared values and beliefs, language and communication, social norms, and ways of expression. In looking at shared beliefs, perhaps the biggest influence of B-Boy culture is the idea of being original. Although many B-Boy or breakin' moves were (and still are) considered to be foundational prerequisites, for old school B-Boys and B-Girls it was absolutely critical that each practitioner added their own style to the dance to distinguish themselves from everyone else. Most B-Boy squads contained specialists in certain areas and also added their own twist to the foundations of the dance. This is still widely the case today.

The concept of “biting” or stealing someone's style originates with early B-Boys and was considered to be a major offense. Disputes over biting had to be settled, either through dance or violence and someone labeled as a biter often lost respect amongst their peers. Biting was a major factor in various beefs and conflicts over the years and this foundational principle carried over into rap, graffiti, and DJing, and continues to be the ultimate “no-no” in Hip-Hop. Accusations of biting have been at the heart of some of the biggest beefs in rap history. The “Roxanne Wars” is just one example. “No Biting” is one of the culture's major “rules” and it underscores the influence of B-Boy values in the greater Hip-Hop community.

Established social norms and customs are another aspect of what comprises a culture and perhaps one of the biggest influences on Hip-Hop that can be traced to the B-Boy is the formation of crews. It's widely accepted that a lot of New York B-Boy crews evolved from street gangs but these crews settled their issues through breakin' rather than through violence. In a short time, crews became organized and developed principles and values. They also created bylaws, hierarchies, handshakes, and other organized systems. From these beginnings, battling, or the street form of competing through dance became an important part of B-Boy life. This was an important measuring stick to either determine who was the best or to resolve conflicts and legendary crews like the Dynamic Rockers, Mighty Zulu Kings and Rock Steady participated in some of the most memorable battles in history. The concept of “crew culture” quickly spread to the other elements and we would see many memorable rap and DJ crews battle over the years (Hobo Junction vs. Hieroglyphics or X-Ecutioners vs. Invisibl Skratch Piklz). The practice of crews battling is still a major pillar in all Hip-Hop elements to this day.

Another aspect of the influence of B-Boy culture on the rest of Hip-Hop which cannot be overstated is the language style and communication, Words like wack, def, biting, and flavor all originate from B-Boys which as we mentioned, predate the modern emcee. Being known as “wack” or unskilled was (and still is) the kiss of death for a Hip-Hop head. Rock Steady Crew's Mr. Freeze talks about the importance of having “flavor” or one's own original style. Most of these terms are still in use today.

The B-Boy expression of style undeniably played a huge part in the development of Hip-Hop culture and its influence can still be felt to this day. The simple act of a Hip-Hop head posing for a picture will usually have him or her crossing their arms in a “B-Boy stance”. Tilting one's hat to the side, lacing sneakers a certain way; these customs can all be traced back to B-Boy style and values. Even the “mean mug” facial expression (often associated with Ken Swift) was a favorite template for graffiti writers to use for characters and is still standard operating procedures for heads to use when posing for a picture.

For some B-Boy legends like Trac 2, Spy and Batch, the peak of B-Boying was the 70's. For others, it was the early 80's. One thing for sure is that its widespread popularity came and went rather quickly. And while it is still practiced globally by many, it is certainly a niche activity. Meanwhile, the rap industry took the world by storm and has become a financial and social juggernaut, with its reach extending into all areas of society. When the average Hip-Hop head thinks about Hip- Hop, rap music is the first thing that typically comes to mind. However, it is important to remember that many of the values, customs, and terms that are still prominent in 2024 have their origins in B-Boy culture. Without these pioneers, the foundation of Hip-Hop would look much different.